


First Date

by ReinaWritesStuff



Series: Jonerys Modern AU [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Brother-Sister Relationships, Cute Ending, F/M, Female Friendship, Female Relationships, First Dates, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Modern Era, POV Female Character, Platonic Female/Female Relationships, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff, because they're actually happy, kind of ooc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 15:58:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15271038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReinaWritesStuff/pseuds/ReinaWritesStuff
Summary: Sequel to "Blind Date", the fic about Jon and Dany double-dating with Gendry and Arya.With some help from friends, Dany and Jon have a (second) first date at an abstract art exhibit. They grow undeniably closer as they learn more about each other.





	First Date

“Just call him.”

“No.”

Dany and Missandei sat on their living room floor, Dany's phone in between them. The roommates had gone back and forth that way for a half hour, trying to decide whether Dany should go ahead and call Jon.

“You're obviously concerned that he hasn't called you,” Missandei said, “And it's been well over a week. That's plenty of time to have waited.”

“But, _he_ asked for _my_ number, Missi,” Dany retorted, “If he really still wanted to talk to me, he would have by now.”

“He could've lost his phone or something. And, I thought you said you two had a great time.”

“I thought we did. Maybe we didn't. I don't know.”

Dany was good at hiding her concern for some time, but Missandei quickly saw through it. They were best friends – both at work and out of it – so it was hard for Dany to hide around her. Missandei had seen her through some trying relationships and was optimistic about Jon. And even she found it strange that he hadn't called after how much Dany gushed over him. So, she tried to remain positive, cheering Dany up when she could.

“I really do believe that there's probably a simple explanation for this.”

“Yeah, that he's not interested,” Dany shrugged. “It's probably for the best. I can't date the sibling of a student. That's wrong.”

“How is that wrong?”

“Come on, you can't tell me that if one of your students had set you up with their brother, you wouldn't be weirded out a little.”

“I wouldn't be if I hit it off with him as much as you two apparently did. And Arya won't be your student for much longer anyway. Has she mentioned anything about him?”

“No, I haven't asked her what her brother thinks of me. Sorry.” Dany tilted her head back against the sofa. “Look it's fine. Sometimes things don't work out and you don't always know why. It's fine. Really.”

Perhaps if she said it enough, she could stop feeling disappointed. But she was so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed that Missandei had taken her phone and walked off to the other side of the room. She was typing something into it as Dany scrambled to chase after her.

“Hey! How did you know my passcode?”

“It's your birthday. You use it for everything.” Missandei shoved the phone into Dany’s hands. “I called him. Here, it's ringing.”

“What? No!”

“If you hang up now, he’ll still see that you called.”

Before Dany could say anything, the call was answered. They exchanged a look; Dany horrified, Missandei pleased.

“Hello,” Dany asked after a moment.

No one said anything, but she could hear some kind of noise on the other end. Missandei motioned for her to put it on speaker, which Dany obliged, rolling her eyes. There was still silence on the line, however.

“Jon? If you're talking I can't hear you.” Nothing. “Jon?”

“So sorry, Jon can't come to the phone right now,” a familiar but unexpected girl’s voice spoke.

“Arya?”

“Hey, Dany,” she replied, a bit of mischief in her tone.

“Wh-why do you have Jon’s phone?”

“Why are you _calling_ Jon’s phone, hm?”

“I asked you first.”

“Jon left it in my room a few days ago. I was seeing how long it would take for him to notice it was gone.”

“Oh, so he doesn't have his phone with him,” Dany glanced to Missandei, who smiled proudly.

“I'm glad you finally called. He just asked about you.”

“He… he did?”

“More like he asked me if you'd asked about him.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I said no, of course. You hadn't even mentioned him to me.” Dany and Missandei both threw their hands up in frustration. With a look, Missandei silently scolded Dany. Arya continued. “But, I told him that you were probably trying to play it cool.”

“That's a bit embarrassing,” Dany said, though she was secretly thankful.

“Do you want to see him again or what,” Arya asked bluntly.

“I, well, I mean it would be nice, I guess.”

“Are you free this Saturday? There's some art exhibit he was talking about going to. I think his mate works at the gallery space and is helping organize it. You two can go together.”

As Dany began to answer, she could hear movement on Arya’s side. A door opened and closed, keys rattled.

“Why do you have my phone? Who are you talking to?”

Jon’s voice carried in the background through the phone.

“I'm talking to Dany. We’re arranging your next date. The art show on Saturday.”

Dany made a sound to interject Arya’s claim. She had no part in this planning, she wanted to tell him.

“Are you smiling, Jon,” Arya teased. She then giggled and spoke to in the phone again, “He's smiling, so you know.”

Missandei raised a brow at her friend, both stifling laughs.

“And now he's walking over. I think he wants his phone back now. You know, I'm going to start charging for my matchmaking services. I'm obviously quite good at it.”

“ _Goodbye_ , Arya.”

Dany heard the phone being passed off and took the call off speaker, much to Missandei’s dismay. She took a deep breath.

“Hey,” Jon said.

“Hey.”

“So, Saturday.”

“Apparently.”

“Is that alright?” He sounded a little nervous.

“Yeah, it sounds great actually.”

“Great, yeah. Okay, I'll see you then.”

She hung up, no doubt blushing again. Something she really would have to gain better control over . She turned around to see her roommate leaning against the kitchen counter, arms folded, staring at her.

“You're welcome,” Missandei grinned.

Dany tried to do her research on the show. It was for a new, abstract artist named Sven of whom she had never heard of. She wanted to flex her art knowledge for Jon, but there was little to no information about him. Only a vague and rather pretentious website with minimal text and cliche slogans. She learned nothing from it other than his art crossed the line from interesting abstract to complete chicken scratch. Still, hideous art aside, she was looking forward to the date if only to see Jon again.

They agreed to meet at the gallery. After an overpriced taxi ride and sitting in traffic, she wasn’t in the best of moods when she approached. But, her aggravation disappeared when she spotted Jon waiting for her. He wore a light colored button-down shirt, rolled sleeves, and dark slacks. His beard and mustache neatly trimmed but his hair still in loose curls. Dany hoped that she didn’t look too bashful as they greeted each other.

“Here's your ticket,” he said.

“You bought this? You really didn't have to buy…”

“I would've been fine to buy it, but don't worry. My friend got us these for free.” Satisfied that not a pence was spent on her behalf, she took the ticket. “Shall we?”

As they walked in side-by-side, they chatted about how they loved art. Loved history. Dany went on about some of the ancient ruins she visited in South America, which Jon was enthralled by. Though she still felt all of the butterflies, Dany couldn't help but also feel as if she was talking to a longtime friend. Someone she'd known far longer than two weeks. Certainly like someone she hadn't been paired with on a blind date.

But, when they entered the exhibit space, Dany stared wide-eyed at the spectacle. Many of the bright white walls were covered in yarn strings. Empty cans were strung from the ceiling. A large photo of Sven was projected on the one yarn-covered. The rest of the open walls were covered in bizarre, paintings. It wasn’t what Dany had in mind when she imagined an art gallery date. She had an appreciation for art, but this was not artistic.

“So, what do you think of the pieces,” Jon asked, almost as if he was eager to hear her praise.

 _They make no sense,_ she wanted to tell him.

“It’s interesting. There’s a lot to look at.”

Jon happily led her to a piece on a nearby wall. It was a simple white canvas with two painted black dots. One dot had a string of yarn taped to it.

“What is this one,” Dany asked.

“This is meant to represent two sides of mankind; good and evil,” Jon began, confidently, “The plain one, representing piety, is good and the one with the yarn, the yarn being greed, is evil. And both exist within the nothingness of the universe that is the white canvas.”

“Wow,” Dany replied, taken aback, “Is that really what it means?”

“No,” Jon laughed, “I made all of that up. I don’t know what the hell any of this stuff is trying to say.”

“ _Right_ ,” Dany exclaimed with laughter in a loud whisper, relieved, “I love abstract art as much as the next person, but this has no rhyme or reason to it, even subjectively!”

“This guy seems up his own ass to me.”

“I have to say I was genuinely concerned that you liked this work. You had me there for a moment.”

“You know his name isn’t even Sven,” a new voice from behind them said.

They turned to see a young, portly man in a suit, smiling at them. Jon immediately grinned and the men embraced. The man had perhaps the friendliest face that Dany had ever seen.

“Sam, this is Dany. Dany, Sam.”

“Ah. You're Arya’s tutor who Jon kept talking about,” Sam blurted out. Jon shot Sam a glance as if he said something he wasn't supposed to. Dany chuckled.

“That's me, I guess. Nice to meet you.” They shook hands. “So what’s this Sven’s story?”

“Archie Popley, you mean. Says he’s from Sweden and speaks little English. He’s really from Yorkshire. Couldn’t make it as an artist with his own name, so he made up this mysterious, Warhol-wannabe Sven persona and people ate it up. He’s a nightmare to work with. That’s why my boss stuck me with organizing this event.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“Don’t be. Oddly enough, it’s going well considering. People are actually buying these things. I’ll probably get some better jobs out of it,” Sam replied, optimistically, “And there was an enormous beverage budget which resulted in an excellent drink selection, if I may say.”

“That’s my speed there. I'll grab us some of those drinks then,” Jon said to Dany.

They watched Jon walked off, waiting until he was out of earshot before Sam gently nudged her.

“Good thing he finally psyched himself up to call you,” he teased.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, he was a mess. He went back and forth with me about calling you. Kept saying it was too soon even after almost a week. I think he was just nervous and stalling. I told him as much, but he tried to deny it. Trust me, I've seen him nervous and that, he was.”

“You know I actually had to call him myself?”

“Really?”

“No, my friend called him for me, because _I_ was stalling. It sounds silly to say out loud. Guess I was a bit nervous, too.”

“You two are a good match,” Sam laughed, “I think he really fancies you a lot. He kept saying how smart and pretty you were. You didn't hear it from me, though.”

Dany mimed zipping her lips just as Jon returned with two wine glasses. Sam excused himself to get back to his organizing duties, and Jon and Dany took to exploring what else the gallery had to offer.

“How did you and Sam meet?”

“We lived together back when we were at the university in Iceland. He was an art history major, which is where this job came from. He eventually wants to be a curator.”

“Wait, you studied in Iceland?”

“I did. It was beautiful. I hate that I didn’t get to finish up my schooling there.”

“Why did you leave? I would’ve wanted to stay forever.”

“Family was more important,” Jon said, his face solemn, “After the accident, my family needed me more than my school did.”

The accident. Dany thought back to what Arya spoke of some time ago. Her parents and two of her brothers were killed in a car accident, leaving Jon to care for his three remaining siblings. However long ago it happened, the look on Jon’s face told her that the wounds were still understandably fresh. Arya said that Jon would always try to keep a brave face about it all but that it was obviously overwhelming sometimes. Dany couldn’t help but feel sadness and admiration for him in what he had to do. She placed her hand softly on his shoulder, offering a comforting gaze. He returned the look.

“You know, you’re quite good at making up stories for this art,” Dany spoke, changing the subject and lightening the mood, “I’d like to try it, too.”

“Alright. What about that one?”

Jon pointed to a painting which vaguely resembled a face. Its irises were eerily made of yarn, and it looked like a poor imitation of a counterfeit Picasso.

“Ah, this one, of course,” she said studiously, “A masterpiece, really. It depicts the illusion of age. The way that one eye is seemingly drawn with a pencil represents newness and infancy. The unintentionally muddy coloring, however, creates elderly wrinkles. Whereas the three lines sticking out of the head meant to be hair could be the growing hair of a baby or the lost hair of an old man.”

“What about the beady yarn eyeballs?”

“I don’t know,” she burst into laughter as did Jon.

“That was pretty good.”

They continued on giving drawn-out, humorous stories and interpretations to the strangest of the art pieces. Each story more ridiculous than the previous one. Every so often they’d pause and glance at each other shyly. Each waiting for the other to do something, anything, that made them less appealing. But, neither did. They found themselves surprised at how enamored they were with each other.

“How are things going with Gendry,” Dany asked after some time.

“Going alright.” Jon shifted in his stance. “He came over a few days ago.”

“Arya told me.”

“Another of her tricks. She invited him over when I was home, knowing well that she wouldn’t be home. Forced me to either let him in or slam the door in his face.”

“And what was your consensus?”

“I guess he’s not that bad. We had some things in common. Had some good small talk. He seems responsible enough. I could maybe grab a drink with him.”

That admission appeared to pain Jon to say which amused Dany.

“Jon,” she laughed, “you sound _properly_ optimistic about Gendry now.”

“Don't tell Arya I said that. I don't want her getting too comfortable with him. I may change my mind.”

“You have my word then,” she went on, “Speaking of Arya, three months left till Thailand. How's that going?”

“I'm happy for her, you know. She’ll enjoy herself, and I know she’ll be okay. But, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling a bit… off about it.”

“How so?”

“So, I've got one sister studying fashion in New York. A brother studying out at Cambridge. Arya is the last, and she's leaving now. I don't know. It'll be strange being alone. Especially strange without Arya. I get the sense that she's feeling some apprehension about leaving. So, I don't want to get too sentimental and cause her to cancel. But, I guess I do hug her a bit longer than normal nowadays.”

“I've got about a month left with her, and I know for sure I'll miss having her around.”

“Are you usually really close with your students?”

“More or less. But none like Arya. She's quite a special one, isn't she?”

“Yeah, she is,” Jon replied, “Maybe it'll be nice to have my place to myself for a bit, though. At least until Sansa and Bran come back on holiday.”

“Absolutely. You can take some time to hang out with friends. Like Sam.”

“True. Sam. Perhaps some other friends, too.”

He didn't have to hint too much at that one for her to understand. She agreed coyly.

They went on examining the art. Going back and forth between laughing at the absurdity and being thoroughly confused by it. One piece was largely indecipherable. Three horizontal lines with triangle shapes at the top and two dots in the middle. Jon and Dany mirrored each other as they stood in front of the painting; arms folded, head cocked to one side, confused expressions.

“Oh. It's a cat,” she called out.

“It's a cat,” Jon agreed with a laugh, “That's one way to express your love for your pet, I guess.”

“Do you have any pets,” she said.

“A dog. You?”

“A bearded dragon.”

“A lizard. That's unexpected. I wouldn't have taken you for the lizard type.”

“The lizard type? What's the lizard type,” Dany laughed. “Bearded dragons make the best pets. Hands down.”

“Better than a dog? I can't imagine that.”

“Are we comparing our animals? Because I'll tell you my Drogon wins.”

“You'll change your tune when you meet my Ghost.” They both paused, realizing what he said. _When_. Jon tried to cover himself. “I mean, if you happened to meet him. Somehow. You know.”

“Right. Somehow,” Dany nodded.

Towards the end of the gallery, they found a painting which stood out among the rest. It featured a mix of broad and thin strokes that made out the shape of a smiling couple, gleeful with love. The figures appeared to be laughing and holding hands.

“This one’s kind of nice,” Dany said, “What's your take on it?”

“Uh, I think it's about new love. The way they're looking into each other’s eyes. You get a real sense that they're happy in love in a way that you feel in the beginning.”

“I agree. But, I don't know that it's necessarily only new love. They could be old and grey, and they just never lost that love for each other. It's quite romantic, don't you think?”

“You're right. I see that.”

They went quiet, briefly meeting eyes thoughtfully before turning back to the painting; both taking a deep gulp. As Dany studied the art piece, she felt a hand grab onto hers hesitantly. She looked down to see Jon holding it, still staring ahead.

“Is that too much,” he asked. Dany interlaced their fingers.

“Not at all.”

“Okay,” he responded with a relieved sigh.

For the rest of the night, they hardly let go of each other. On the rare occasion that they did, it was only for Jon to place his arm securely around Dany’s shoulder or waist as they continued long. Sometimes, she would carefully lean her head against Jon’s shoulder, finding unexpected comfort there. They talked and laughed together, even more at ease with each other than before. Sam even gave an approving nod as he spotted them from a distance. Dany thought of how his hands felt as warm as she had imagined them being. And she certainly had imagined them plenty of times.

After the show was over, Jon accompanied her on her trek home. She insisted against it as it was out of his way, but he didn't mind. They opted to catch the bus rather than waste more money on another cab and stole glances at one another throughout the entire ride. Their hands never came apart. When they finally reached the stoop of her building, they both lingered.

“Here's my house.”

“Yeah.” He smoothed his thumb over hers. “I had a great time. Again.”

“Same here,” Dany agreed, “Even with the strange art.”

“ _Especially_ with the strange art. My date made it more enjoyable, of course, if that's not too forward.”

“Your date was very happy to oblige. She'd even say the same of you.” Dany bit her lip playfully. “I guess I'll head inside. In a minute.”

“In a minute,” he repeated.

They stepped closer together, testing their boundaries until they were only a breath apart. Still, neither moved away. Only continued gazing at each other. After a moment they tilted their heads and softly brought their lips together. It was as if a surge coursed through them, awakening them, and Dany could feel it inside her. Jon grabbed onto her hips as his tongue slipped into her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him nearer and deepening the kiss. They only stopped when they lost their balance, stumbling backwards, and laughed as they caught their breaths. Their eyes met again, overcome with the connection between them.

“Arya will never let us live this down,” Jon joked.

“I know,” Dany laughed, “I'm okay with that, though.”

“So am I.”

“Alright then. Goodnight, Jon.”

“Goodnight, Dany.”

She reached into her purse, only to have her bliss quickly replaced by concern. After rummaging through it, she shook her bag to listen for the jingle of keys but there was nothing. Suddenly, she remembered dropping them on her bed before leaving and never picking them back up.

“Dammit, I left my keys inside. I have to call my flatmate to buzz me in. You don't have to wait for me.”

“Yes, I do.”

She paused, giving him a thankful look, and called Missandei.

“Hey. Could you open the door for me? I've left my keys.” Dany covered the phone receiver, turning her body away from Jon while she spoke. “No, it's just me coming up — We did… we did have a good time. Had a great time.”

Jon smiled at her and Dany rolled her eyes with slight embarrassment.

“N-no. He's not staying the night… Because he's not,” Dany said under her breath. “Missi, _please_ just ring me in.”

Missandei laughed loud enough for Jon to hear through the phone before hanging up. The front door made a buzzing and unlocking sound.

“She says hello,” Dany shrugged, hoping he didn't hear too much of her conversation but knowing that he did.

“Tell her I said hello, too.”

Dany waved goodnight to him, but Jon stopped the door before it closed.

“Look, I know it's short notice, but do you want to grab lunch tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I would. Text me.” She beamed “Don't lose your phone this time.”

“You have my word.”

They kissed again before the door closed. She watched as he walked out of eyesight before she made her way up to her place. Dany nearly felt like a little girl again, wistfully walking through the halls, full of happy and loving thoughts. She knocked on her door and Missandei immediately answered, ready for a story.

“Tell me everything,” she joyfully said, letting Dany in.

“Well, first off, yes. We did kiss, and I'm seeing him tomorrow,” Dany summarized with a grin.

They spent the rest of the night recounting the entire date and giddily speculating on what would come of it.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Some character notes!
> 
> \- I wanted to write Missandei as kind and supportive in a playful and snarky way (I borrowed a bit of her personality here from Nathalie). I like to think that's how she may have been if she hadn't been sold into the life she had. 
> 
> \- Sansa is studying fashion merchandising and business marketing in NYC, because of course. She's great with creating clothes and is learning the business of things. Bran, who graduated early high school, is damned-near MENSA level and was awarded all sorts of grants to attend Cambridge. They used their inheritance to go towards their education (Arya is using hers for her gap year).
> 
> \- I will always add some Jon and Arya sibling flair in this series, because I love them.


End file.
